Queer as blokes

Page Tools

The secret to reality TV is to make the fakery look
real, as Kylie Miller discovers on the set of Australian Queer
Eye.

''Straight guy approaching!" comes the shout and a dozen people
duck for cover behind the counter of Diesel in Sydney's hip Oxford
Street fashion strip.

"Straight guy" Jack Hayes, a landscape gardener from Sydney's
leafy north, is led into the shop by his minder, "straight-guy
producer" Liz Sideris, oblivious to the flurry his arrival has
caused.

Keeping Hayes sheltered from the mechanics of filming is
critical to the local adaptation of the American format Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy, which premiered on Network Ten last
night.

"In the spirit of really focusing on the straight guy and his
journey, we try to remove the distraction of the television-making
process to the greatest extent possible," says executive producer
Brett Wayn.

"We try not to use the word 'action' when the straight guy is
around. We hide the crew when the straight guy is coming on set, we
try to keep pretty relaxed, even when things are going
pear-shaped."

Says director Phil Cullen: "The worst-case scenario for us is if
the straight guy starts acting. We are trying hard to get it
real."

But not too real. A small boy giggles when his bemused mother
walks in, startled to see the cameras: "I'm going to be on TV," he
squeals. Cullen frowns: "If those kids upstairs are going to make
noise we can't let them watch."

The store remains open, the shop manager whispers from her
position beneath the counter, but this morning was chosen for
filming because trade is usually slow.

Melbourne designer Ty Henschke, the "Fab 5"'s fashion guru,
leads Hayes into the change room and orders him to strip: "We need
to start from the ground up, we need to start with your undies," he
says, before parading his charge, newly clad in sleek black jocks
and tight singlet, through the shop. "Don't be shy, it's only you
and the rest of Australia."

Perhaps not quite the rest of Australia, but Ten has high hopes
for its new series, the original of which proved a hit after
launching on American cable channel Bravo in July 2003. It was
quickly picked up by NBC, although audience numbers have since
dropped significantly, a trend also reflected in Australia last
year.

At least among would-be participants, interest remains strong.
When the producers advertised for straight guys, 4000 men
applied.

"Say our straight guy is called Bill," says Wayn, who has spent
six months living and breathing the show. "Bill's the sort of
person about whom other people say 'Oh, Bill, he's a really nice
guy, but...' It's the but. It's always the way he dresses, his
beard, his hair, his home..."

The men inevitably are at a turning point in their lives,
usually in relationships or career. Described not as a "makeover"
show but rather a "make better" show, the series aims to
assist.

The Fab 5 - five gay men expert in the fields of fashion,
grooming, food and wine, interior decoration and a broadly defined
category called "life" - offer information, skills and experiences
to help with the transformation.

"They see things through the queer-eye filter rather than the
straight-guy filter and it helps them understand that they can
actually be better in all of those areas. In the process we make a
television show.

"But if we don't really understand the guy and really address
his needs ... you don't get the satisfaction of having done
something good for an individual and ... you don't really get a
good story."

Grooming expert Will Fennell agrees: "I thought it was going to
be a superficial thing ... but it's not that at all. The change
that these people have to their lives is really profound to the
point that they don't want us to leave and we don't want to leave
them ... Some of them I have fallen madly in love with."

Later, as Hayes is whisked from Paddington to his next shopping
stop at an Ikea superstore, Cullen leads the way in a specially
outfitted van, watching and listening on portable monitors as
conversation unfolds in the late-model black Volvo behind. One of
the two directors making the six-part series, Cullen constantly
monitors the interaction between Hayes and his five fairy
godfathers. The series has no narrator so cameras roll whenever the
parties meet lest a crucial exchange is missed.

"We spend lots of time driving between locations so we might as
well film it," he says. "Often the straight guy is more
relaxed."

During this trip, Hayes talks of a morning facial and body scrub
organised by Fennell. "I use a nail brush to scrub my whole body,"
he confesses. It is lush fodder for the cameras.

A new skincare regime - as well as the establishment of a home
office and advice from a successful businessman, Nudie juice
founder Tim Pethick - is among the changes the Fab 5 have devised
for Hayes.

For seven weeks before they film, the production crew thinks
through every detail of their subject's life, identifying problems
and conceiving solutions. The logistics of shooting an hour of
television in three days, often including home renovation, means
much is organised in advance.

"Ty would have worked with the research department and the
straight-guy producer in a process that we call Fab Lab," says
Wayn. "We try to get a good understanding of who the person is and
what his life is like and then Ty, because he's a fashion expert,
can say, 'Well based on the fact that he's mid 20s and that he's a
fit Australian guy, the sort of brand that might suit him is
Diesel.'" All with only a head shot and body measurements.

But flexibility is important. Early in filming a straight guy
spoke on camera of an event he and his wife had always wanted to
attend. The producers swiftly arranged tickets.

"What's really driving us, first and foremost, is what's going
to be the right thing for this straight guy. Within the limits of
practicality, we're very flexible."

With the success of the original Queer Eye largely
attributed to excellent casting of the Fab 5, an exhaustive search
was conducted to find their Australian equivalents. They didn't try
to match individual characters; there's no particularly Carson
Cressley, known for his camp wit and quick tongue, in the
Australian series.

First and foremost Ten executives and production company the
Freehand Group sought five gay men acknowledged as experts in their
field.

"That didn't mean that Ryan had to be a trained chef, he could
have been a food critic," Wayn says. "He happens to be a trained
chef. That didn't mean that Liston had to be the conductor of the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, but he's someone who's had a lot of life
experience and who's travelled very widely. Ty had his own fashion
label, Brendan's a trained interior architect, Will is a
professional beauty therapist.

"After (we) got that ... then (we) started to make more of the
television decisions about 'Do they have appeal in the way they
look and sound on television as individuals?' but then, most
importantly, 'As a team, did they work together?'"

According to the Fab 5, this goal, at least, was achieved. "It's
been cyclonic, these boys are just incredible," says Henschke. "One
of their aims was not to get a bunch of bitchy fags in and none of
us are. We're like brothers."

Andrijich agrees: "We work a long day and go out to dinner quite
often ... I think that's testament to the fact that they put a lot
of thought into the group dynamic."

Back in make-better land, Wong is applying the final touches to
Hayes's suburban home. The transformation is hard to believe. "It's
not just about slapping on paint so it looks good on TV," he
says.

"It really is no different to the finished product that you
would get from me if you were working with me as an interior
architect in my own business."

Despite the impression given in the show, it takes more than a
day to transform a home. In this case, 25 tradesman were employed
over 40 hours to transform the bedroom and communal lounge room;
painting, installing plumbing and light fixtures, new furniture,
and making small structural changes.

A small budget pays for tradesman, but goods and services come
largely through "contra" - deals done with suppliers who recognise
the benefits of having their products recommended by experts on
television. Most of those approached agreed to participate.

"Early on, I asked the Fab 5 to write down what I called their
matrix, so within each of their categories to look at their
preferred products, services, places, brands," says Wayn.

The production team developed a master list of products and
services, then negotiations with suppliers began. While Hayes's
home furnishings came from Ikea, the home of Sydney lawyer Kevin
Dwyer was filled with classics by Ray and Charles Eames, sourced
from high-end outlet Living Edge.

"We are trying to make the placements as integrated into the
show as possible ... If you have chosen a product or service and
it's the right straight guy and the right story, then it shouldn't
be too jarring," he says.

"Some of them are clearly aspirational ... but a lot of the time
we are very much able to focus on things that are stylish, tasteful
and classy but also well and truly affordable for the average
consumer."

"If you're just interested in the nice clothes and renovation
you could watch it purely as a make-better show, but if you're
actually interested in people and are fascinated by the way these
guys go through a transformation, it's like a one-hour drama. At
some other level, it's just five gay guys and a straight guy having
a ball - and very funny, too."

The producers believe that if viewers sample it, they'll stay.
"I think if the audience are curious to see the show they will like
the show," says John Gregory, a director of the Freehand Group.

"It's the show they understand but it's done with an authentic
Australian voice; we do things differently to the Americans and we
don't have to direct them to do that, it's just what happens when
you put Australians together."

The three-day shoot nearing completion, Hayes is taken home for
the "reveal". "Oh, this is unbelievable," he says to Wong when led
through his house for the first time. "You're a freak and a legend
at the same time! It's awesome."

After a short lesson from each of the five and a promise that
he'll heed their advice, the Fab 5 climb into their Volvo and leave
their straight guy to his new life.

But while Hayes and five Aussie blokes like him have experienced
great change, Fennell doesn't see similar change in his own world.
"There is life after this and it would have been very silly to say
'I'm going to be on television, see you later, I'm out of here,'"
he says. Then pauses. "But there will be a lot less butt
waxing!"

The Australian Fab 5

Will Fennell, 29: grooming

What he does: Proprietor of Will Fennell Skin
Therapy in Sydney.

How he was chosen: Applied to be part of the
Fab 5 after prompting by friends and clients. "I went to the very
first audition," he says. "It's a bit like having a baby, I just
can't wait until it comes out ... it will be so exciting to see the
finished product."

What next: "There's life after this ... But
there will be a lot less butt waxing!"

Tip: "Choose a really nice fragrance that is
for you and just use a tiny bit of it. It should never enter the
room before you do."

Ryan Andrijich, 28: food and wine

What he does: A trained chef and fromagiere who
was most recently a manager for Simon Johnson in Toorak and Fitzroy
but is now based in Sydney.

How he was chosen: Andrijich sent a tape to the
producers over a year ago and attended a series of auditions. "I
thought 'I get that! I could take people to my favourite food
places and show them how to cook' because I do those on my days off
anyway."

Tip: "Buy good produce. It's impossible to get
flavour from something that doesn't have any."

Brendan Wong, 30: interior design

What he does: Western Australian-born Wong has
a masters degree in interior architecture and has worked around the
world. He has recently been based in Paris with his own company,
brendanwong.

How he was chosen: While home for a week's
holiday in Sydney, Wong was contacted by producers and asked if he
was interested in participating. "I'm basically just doing what I
would normally do with a client and there happens to be a camera
there. Most of the straight guys are in it for all the right
reasons, they really want to change Â¿ and to be able
to help them do that feels really worthwhile."

Tip: "Take clues from who you are and how you
want to live your life, don't be obsessed by seeing an image in a
magazine and thinking that's how you want to live Â¿
it should say something about who you are."

Ty Henschke, 32: fashion

What he does: Designer for Melbourne label Ty
and Melita

How he was chosen: "When I saw it I thought,
'God, it would be neat to do something like that.'" He mentioned
his interest to Lauren Newton after taping a segment for Good
Morning Australia.

A week later he was contacted by the producers. "I have never
been one to be stuck for words and I knew my degree in smartarse
would come in handy one day!"

Tip: "If in doubt, don't."

Liston Williams, 31: life

What he does: A trained actor with a degree in
musical theatre from the Western Academy of Performing Arts, New
Zealand-born Williams has travelled extensively. Six weeks after
graduating, he landed the lead role of the European version of Cats
- and had to perform it in German.

How he was chosen: The final member of the Fab
5 to be found, Williams was cast after a recommendation by Queer
Eye original Carson Cressley, whom he met in Sydney last year.
"Carson put in a call to the producer and the auditions were that
day. I got an appointment at 4pm."

Tip: "Work out what's truly important to you,
surround yourself with positive things, live your truth and keep it
real. Being yourself is what it's about."

Australian Queer Eye for the Straight Guy screens on
Wednesdays on Channel Ten.